Inspired by Mara Hoffman's swim collections and keeping the Stylesight Spring 2015 Megatrend "Impulse" in mind I came up with three coordinating prints. I've been intrigued by woven textile traditions from the "Americas" lately, and I think that crept into the stripe a bit. I've been fascinated with the similar qualities in Navajo, Mexican, Columbian, Peruvian, Guatemalan and even Inuit textiles.

I ended up blending two different design briefs into one collection. Over on Pattern Observer, Chelsea's Challenge has a "Runway Inspired" brief, and the Make It In Design School Summer School Intemediate level brief was for swimwear with a "fun retro inspired pattern". Specific details were to "think large-scale motifs, including at least one strong bold geometric shape.

I started thinking about 60's pop inspired geometrics, and came up with a few different patterns:

print inspired by a Courregges mini dress from the 60's (separate bits in these shapes held together with chain)

another coordinating geometric pattern

Not really feeling like any of these were where I wanted to go, I pulled up this stripe I'd done a while ago

Multi-colored diagonal stripe

I isolated one section of the stripe and then manipulated it repeatedly with Photoshop filters, then indexed it down to 5 colors, which I recolored into the palette provided in the design brief. From there I played around with the concept of dots coming from stripes and the two other prints emerged.

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Finding a whole new direction with dots.

Last one finished. Now just to stitch them on to the slipcovers.

I've been perfecting my no-knots on the surface technique. Not a knot to be seen on this one.

Number 7 is finished. Only one more to go.

Back to the slipcover dots.

My vat is getting better with time. I'm finding those soft blues I was looking for. I'm definitely a fermentation vat convert. The cloth is from headers @turnerartmom scavenged for me on a dumpster dive. No pre-wash, no scour, just straight into the vat.

Back to stitching round things.

I'm stockpiling pomegranates for the dye vat.

When you can't decide between mango and blueberry lassi, make both and use a straw to switch between flavors.

Another of my favorite things about California: walking to the lemon tree in November to make salad dressing.